It has been a year since I watched the final episode of Noein and I had intended to put this review up sooner but with 2012 hitting and me entering my other (better) self, now seems like the perfect chance to post it.
At first glance there does not seem to be much that distinguishes Noein from other titles and for me this was a random purchase because the price was cheap. A brief synopsis makes it sound like Evangelion; normal kids battling inter-dimensional beings whilst dealing with emotions. After watching it, I can say that it was a highly enjoyable, memorable ride that mixes that Schrödinger’s Cat multi-verse babble with growing up.
The story is split between two time zones: In the near future, a violent battle takes place between the dimensions La’cryma, protector of humanity, and Shangri-la, a place inhabited by beings bent on annihilating space and time. Standing up against Shangri-la’s aggression is a group of mighty warriors known as the dragon cavalry, super-human beings who are tasked with seeking the one thing that can stop Shangri-la, the dragon torque which sees them travel through time and space in search of it.
In the present, 12 year old Haruka and her group of friends are living in the port city of Hakodate in Hokkaido with little to worry them other than the emotional state of their friend Yuu who is contemplating running away from home and an over-protective mother. Haruka has a crush on Yuu and suggests the two go to Tokyo where her father lives but they encounter one of the dragon cavalry in the form of Karasu (crow). His connection to the two runs deeper than any of them can imagine.
Genkinahito 